Several months ago, a guest on NPR brought up a term that struck a chord with me. The term is bucket of crabs. Basically, the story is that if you put a crab in a bucket by itself, it will most likely find its way out of the bucket, but if its in there with other crabs it will have a much more difficult time finding its way out because the others will be clawing at it as it tries to escape. Basically it means that in your life you might have people that are pulling you down, despite their intentions and whether they realize it or not. Their words and actions make it harder for you to rise up and improve your situation.
I am a very driven individual, individual being the keyword. A life of social norms has never really appealed to me. I’ve always wanted to make something of my life, not just perpetuate the cycle. In fact, for personal reasons, I’ve almost felt obligated to do so. In the past, I’ve often ran into resistance when bringing to light any dreams or plans for self-improvement. My plans to move away from the city where I have always resided have been met with bewilderment and resentment. “Why do you want to do that?” “What’s wrong with Indianapolis?” “You just want to get away from me.” My desire to pursue a career outside of the piece of paper I paid $20,000 for or to remove myself from the greed-laced cutthroat land of capitalism has been met with disapproval. “Go off and save humanity.” “If you do that you might as well throw that degree away.” Even my daily activities and decisions I make in an attempt to improve myself, like going to the gym or reading, are derided at times.
When I was brainstorming title ideas for this blog, Push Things Forward kept coming to mind. I felt like it was a phrase that best described where I’m at right now. I took the phrase from a song from The Streets titled “Let’s Push Things Forward”. While writing this entry I decided to listen to Original Pirate Material for the first time in years. I had it playing in the background when these lyrics from the song “Stay Positive” grabbed my attention.
Stop dreaming
People who say that are blaspheming
They’re doing nine to five and moaning
And they don’t want you succeeding when they’ve blown it
And your idols – who are they?
They too dreamt about their day
Positive steps will see your goals.
Of course, those in your life often have nobler, more innocent motives but you get the idea.
